People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — Gems of Populism. [ARTICLE]

Gems of Populism.

Following are extracts from the speech of Mrs. Lease delivered in New York: “We fill God’s blue heavens with spires and domes while his children wander the cold earth without an attic in which to sleep. “Christ taught the equality of men. If the plutocrats are to rule the world it would seem to need in place of the humble carpenter of Nazareth, a Christ who wears a stovepipe hat and smokes twenty-five cent cigars. “As political shepherds, the two old political parties have had but one though for their flock, the people—not how that flock might best be tended, but how often and how closely it might be shorn. “Every child that dies of hunger furnishes incontrovertible evidence of a murder done for money. ‘.‘The mighty giant of labor is at last aroused. He is shaking the pillars of the capitalistic temple. In his eyes is the light of justice. He is breaking the fetters that have for ages bound him to the rock of ignorance, and is demanding exact justice for all and special privileges for none.

“Men will not starve in the sight of plenty, and when a votary of fashion gives a birthday party, consisting of game pie, chicken and ice cream, to her pet poodle, there is no reason why men should starve. “We are burning corn in Kansas for fuel, while the coal miners of Pennsylvania are starving, and all because the government does not own the railroads. “The aristocracy of your great city may well be startled as it thinks of the French revoluiton. The Republican of last week made a statement that the Populists were almost extinct in Colorado as late election results show* a decided falling off from that party. Of course it is well for the Republican newspapers to make such statements, they wouldn’t be keeping up appearances if they didn’t. When Mr. Marshall made that statement he forgot to give his authority for it, or to even show how the results actually were. For his benefit, as well as other readers, we append the following official result of the recent election in Colorado. Populists carried 17 towns. Citizens Ticket carried 22 “ Republicans carried ... 13 “ High License “ .... 6 “ Mixed Results “ .... 5 “ Democrats “ .... 1 “ Prohibitionists'* .... 1 “ This is not discouraging to the People’s Party, especially when we consider that a Citizens’ Ticket is, in reality a Populist victory. Almost every legislative official, court official, political thug and scoundrel, and nearly the whole brood of stinking jackleg lawyers, for thirty years have had their pockets stuffed with passes, and have been riding in grand railroad style, while honest toil has footed the bills. That was all right, (in their eyes) but when honest but starving laborers, few in number, asked for one similar . favor, it was denied them, and they were threatened with death if they attempted to get aboard; nor would they allow them to ride when the governor of lowa offered to pay for their transportation. Is this the United States or Russia? There is a God in Israel.

Let us know who favor and who oppose an income tax; who favor and who oppose paying tribute toOthe sugar trust; who favor and who oppose taxing whiskey for the benefit of the trust; who favor and who oppose free iron ore; who favor and who oppose each and every attempt to tax the many for the benefit of the few.—Terre Haute Gazette. (Dem)